Two EMS employees of Putnam County Emergency Medical Services in Georgia, filed suit against Putnam County and EMS Director Brad Murphey alleging sex and pregnancy discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation. Kaitlyn Elizabeth Todd and Taylor Kennedy filed suit last week in US District Court for the Middle District of Georgia.

Todd, an Advanced EMT attending paramedic school, and Kennedy, a paramedic, worked together as partners on B-Shift for approximately ten months. Kennedy was pregnant during the events giving rise to the suit. Putnam County EMS personnel were housed/quartered in stations shared with the Putnam County Fire Department.

According to the complaint, problems began in August 2025 after Putnam County Fire Department Captain Jack Harper was assigned to B-Shift at Station 3. Although Captain Harper was not in the plaintiffs’ EMS chain of command, he allegedly asserted authority over them, telling them Station 3 was “his station” and required them to perform station chores. When Todd and Kennedy raised the issue through their own chain of command, Captain Harper allegedly yelled at them for “telling on him” in the presence of a subordinate firefighter.

The plaintiffs claim Captain Harper subsequently made derogatory comments about their competence as a “double female crew,” criticized their requests for assistance lifting patients, and commented on clothing they wore as sleepwear at the station. They allege other firefighters told them that Captain Harper repeatedly criticized their work. On January 1, 2026, Captain Harper allegedly wrote in a group text, “Victory is sweet men !! Thank all of you hard working men!” followed by, “Ya ya only cause a dang ambulance crew can’t do their job.” Todd and Kennedy understood the comment as referring to a lift-assist request they had made.

On January 3, 2026, Todd and Kennedy filed a formal complaint alleging a hostile work environment and gender discrimination. The Fire Department subsequently investigated. Witness statements corroborated portions of their allegations, including Captain Harper’s comments about the ambulance crew, his conduct during a confrontation over use of a television in a common area, and his discussion of the women’s sleepwear at an officers’ meeting. The investigation concluded that Captain Harper may have spoken more harshly than warranted, should have handled situations more professionally, and should refrain from expressing opinions about employees of other departments around his subordinates. According to the complaint, no disciplinary action was taken against him and the matter was treated as a personality conflict.

The dispute escalated on January 22, when Human Resources informed Todd and Kennedy that they would be separated as partners because Kennedy’s pregnancy required her to “always be partnered with a male EMS employee while on duty.” Neither Kennedy nor Todd had requested such an accommodation, and Kennedy maintained that her pregnancy did not prevent her from performing her assigned duties. Both formally objected to the change. Their supervisors, Captain Henry Wood and Lieutenant Phillip Ethridge, also reportedly opposed separating them, maintaining that they worked well together and there was no legitimate reason for doing so.

At a January 27 meeting with Human Resources Director Cynthia Miller and EMS Director Murphey, Todd and Kennedy asserted that the proposed separation constituted retaliation for their January 3^rd complaint, as well as discrimination based on sex and pregnancy. Management nevertheless informed them that the change would proceed, describing it as both “for the betterment of EMS” and a pregnancy accommodation. Todd alleges that when she told Director Murphey the decision appeared retaliatory, he responded, “well, now I have a different reason,” but declined to identify that reason.

The following day, Director Murphey announced new shift assignments effective February 2. Todd was moved from B-Shift to A-Shift. Kennedy, despite the earlier assertion that she needed a male partner, was ultimately assigned to another female EMS employee, Angela Franklin. In addition, Kennedy’s physician provided the County with a written statement that she did not require a male partner as a pregnancy accommodation. The plaintiffs allege that the County later characterized the changes as part of a broader departmental “restructuring,” an explanation they contend was inconsistent with the original pregnancy-accommodation rationale.

Todd alleges the reassignment interfered with her paramedic education, forcing her to cancel previously scheduled clinical hours and classes. She was also assigned to work with and under Renaldo Sanders, whom the complaint describes as having a widely known reputation within EMS and the Fire Department for having a short temper and being difficult to work with.

Kennedy alleges the reassignment eliminated her previous monthly rotation between Stations 3 and 4 and left her assigned full-time to Station 4, substantially increasing her commute. She also claims she stopped working overtime shifts she had regularly worked before the dispute, resulting in lost income.

Todd asserts claims against Putnam County under Title VII for a sex-based hostile work environment, retaliation, sex discrimination, and retaliatory hostile work environment. Todd and Kennedy jointly assert an Equal Protection claim against Director Murphey individually under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and a retaliation claim against Putnam County under the Georgia Whistleblower Act. Kennedy had filed an EEOC charge but had not yet received her Notice of Right to Sue when the complaint was filed. The complaint therefore reserves her Title VII pregnancy-discrimination claims and claims under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which she intends to add after receiving the notice.

The plaintiffs seek back pay, front pay, compensatory damages, punitive damages against Director Murphey, declaratory and injunctive relief, restoration to their former shift and partner assignments or equivalent positions, attorney’s fees, costs, and interest.